Review - Claymates

Claymates
by Dev Petty
illustrated by Lauren Eldridge
Date: 2017
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

Meet the claymates: two balls of clay that can become anything--even best friends!

What can you do with two blobs of clay? Create something amazing! But don't leave them alone for too long. Things might get a little crazy.

In this photographic friendship adventure, the claymates squish, smash, and sculpt themselves into the funniest shapes imaginable. But can they fix a giant mess before they're caught in the act?

(synopsis from Goodreads)

I love this.

Despite the impression the somewhat lacklustre cover gives, this is a hilarious book about creativity. Two lumps of clay wait in a studio to be molded by an artist. They wonder what's going to happen next. Suddenly, a pair of hands comes along and molds them into shapes. The grey clay becomes a wolf, and the brown clay becomes an owl. When the artist leaves, however, the fun really begins. The claymates start playing with their own features, becoming all sorts of different things. But... they hear the artist returning! Quickly, they try to put themselves back the way they were. They don't quite succeed...

I was giggling to myself while I was reading this. The characters' expressions are absolutely priceless. It's amazing what the artist managed to do with just clay and doll eyes. The text is sparse and simple, more like speech balloons in a graphic novel than anything else, but it perfectly captures the essences of the characters' personalities.

I really, really hope that there's going to be a sequel or something, because the premise is just too good to be left as a standalone. I want more from the claymates!

Quotable moment:

Premise: 5/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 4/5
Illustrations: 5/5
Originality: 5/5

Enjoyment: 5/5

Overall: 4.83 out of 5